At the beginning of last month, after a jewelry vendor at Chiayi City’s Chialefu Night Market closed up shop for the night, two thieves snuck into the vendor’s stall and made off with over 300 rings and bracelets. The fuming vendor posted a video of the suspected culprits on the Facebook social media Web site and asked netizens to help conduct a cyber manhunt to catch the thieves. Three days later one of the suspects, a 19-year-old male surnamed Lee, afraid of being found out, turned himself in at a police station. Lee confessed that the cyber manhunt had left him afraid he would be recognized and the pressure he was under meant he was unable to sleep at night.
After an investigation by the police, it was discovered that a total of 12 vendors’ stalls had fallen victim to the suspected thieves. Following up on a lead, the police then arrested another individual — also surnamed Lee and also 19 years old — who is being treated as the suspected accomplice. The entire case of suspected burglary has now been handed over to the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office for further investigation.
Chialefu Night Market manager Chen Hui-ming says that before the suspects were located, vendors at the market were anxious and they all breathed a sigh of relief once the case had been cracked. Chen also says that additional CCTV cameras have been installed at the market and that police have increased patrols, so thieves should not think that they would be able to get away with theft again.
Photo: Wang Shan-yEn, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者王善嬿
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
嘉義市嘉樂福夜市一名賣首飾的攤商,三月初某晚打烊後,遭二名宵小潛入攤位,偷走超過三百件戒指跟手環,攤商氣得將歹徒作案影片張貼到臉書社群,請網友協助「肉搜」抓賊,三天後,涉案的十九歲李姓男子心虛地到派出所自首,供稱因遭肉搜,擔心被認出來,壓力大,晚上都失眠。
警方調查發現,共有十二個攤商受害,循線逮獲另名同齡同姓的共犯,全案依竊盜罪嫌函送嘉義地檢署偵辦。
嘉樂福夜市經理陳惠銘表示,嫌犯沒找到前,攤商都人心惶惶,破案才鬆了口氣,夜市已加裝監視錄影器,警方也加強巡邏,歹徒切莫心存僥倖。
(自由時報記者王善嬿)
The content recommendation algorithm that powers the online short video platform TikTok has once again come under the spotlight after the app’s Chinese owner ByteDance signed binding agreements to form a joint venture that will hand control of operations of TikTok’s US app to American and global investors, including cloud computing company Oracle. Here is what we know so far about its fate, following the establishment of the joint venture. IS BYTEDANCE CEDING CONTROL? While the creation of this new entity marks a big step toward avoiding a US ban, as well as easing trade and tech-related tensions between Washington and Beijing, there
A: Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 2026 already. Where did you count down? B: I went to pop singer A-mei’s Taitung concert yesterday for the New Year’s countdown. How about you? A: I went to rock band Mayday’s Taichung concert yesterday. Going to their New Year’s shows has become a holiday tradition for me. B: Don’t forget, we’re also going to Jolin Tsai’s show tonight. It’s her first perfomance at the Taipei Dome. A: Yeah, that’s right. It’s great to start the year with good friends and good music. A: 新年快樂!我真不敢相信都已經2026年了。你昨天去哪跨年啦? B: 我昨天去了流行天后張惠妹的台東演唱會,還和她一起跨年倒數。那你呢? A:
Prompted by military threats from Russia, Denmark has recently passed a new conscription law, officially including women in its military draft for the first time. From July 1, 2025, Danish women, upon turning 18, will be entered into the draft lottery. If selected, they are to serve in the military for 11 months, just as men do. Not only has this decision attracted international attention, but it has also sparked discussions on gender, equality and national defense. Although Denmark’s reform appears to promote gender equality, it primarily responds to regional instability and the need to strengthen national defense. With
A: Apart from Taiwan’s A-mei, Mayday and Jolin Tsai, there are many foreign singers coming to Taiwan early this year. B: The South Korean girl group Babymonster are playing two shows at Taipei Arena starting from tonight. Who else is coming to Taiwan? A: Other artists include Australian band Air Supply, K-pop superstar Rain, boy group Super Junior, TXT, US singers Giveon and Josh Groban, and Irish boy group Westlife. B: Air Supply was the first foreign band to come to Taiwan in 1983, and they’re probably the most frequently visiting group too. A: As the year is beginning